Lock slider

ABSTRACT

In a slider having a body with an island or separator formed centrally at its flared front end, a locking pawl is arranged between a pair of ears projecting upwardly from the separator in spaced parallelism. A retainer pin extends between the separator ears over the locking pawl in registered relationship to an upwardly opening recess formed adjacent the front end of the latter. Normally, the locking pawl is yieldably urged, as by a leaf spring mounted thereunder to releasably engage the retainer pin in its recess and to have its tapered or pointed rear end held in interference contact with the rows of interfitting fastener elements passing through the slider body. Upon exertion of a pull on a pull tab connected to the locking pawl, the latter will pivot about the retainer pin to permit the free movement of the slider along the fastener elements.

0 United States Patent [191 [111 3,

M [4 Dec. 9, 1975 LOCK SLIDER Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak [75] Inventor: Kiyoshi Oda, Kurobe, Japan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Bucknam and Archer [73] Assignee: 0ls(hida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, [57] ABSTRACT 0 Japan In a slider having a body with an island or separator Filedi 1974 formed centrally at its flared front end, a locking pawl is arranged between a pair of ears projecting upwardly [21] PP 531327 from the separator in spaced parallelism. A retainer pin extends between the separator ears over the lock- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ing pawl in registered relationship to an upwardly Dec 18, 1973 Japan 48-145326[U] Opening recess formed adjacent the from end of the latter. Normally, the locking pawl is yieldably urged, 52 us. Cl. 24/205.14 R; 24/205.1 R as y a leaf Spring mounted thereunder to releasebly [51 Int. cl. A44B 19/30 g g the retainer P in its recess and to have its [58] Field of Search ..24/205.14 R, 205.1 R, pered or pointed rear end held in interference Contact 4/205 K with the rows of interfitting fastener elements passing [56] References Ci d through the slider body. Upon exertion of a pull on a UNITED STATES PATENTS pull tab connected to the locking pawl, the latter will 2 487 386 1 H1949 Sch uermann 24/205 14 R pivot about the retainer pin to permit the free move- 3I324I522 6/1967 Ho an..... ....:::::::::I: 24/205114 R ment of the Slider along the fastener elements 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 9 1975 FIG.3

Av H

LOCK SLHDER BACKGROUND OF THE lNVENTlON This invention relates generally to slide fasteners and in particular to slide fasteners of the concealed type wherein the fastener elements are completely concealed under the abutting edges of a garment or like article when the fastener is in a closed disposition thereon. Still more particularly, the invention deals with the improved configuration of a slider equipped with a releasable locking mechanism for use with the concealed slide fasteners.

The releasable locking mechanism for the slider under consideration includes a locking pawl which,

when there is no pull on the pull tab of the slider, is spring-energized into interference contact with rows of interlocking fastener elements extending through the slider body, thereby locking the slider against movement in any desired position on the rows of fastener elements.

Heretofore, in the slider of the above described type, the locking pawl has been pivotally mounted on the slider body via a pivot pin extending through a bore in the locking pawl. This prior art configuration does not permit the releasable locking mechanism to be assembled on the slider body by having its constituent parts delivered thereto in the same direction, but in two crossing directions. The assemblage of the releasable locking mechanism on the slider body further involves the delicate operation of inserting the pivot pin into and through the bore in the locking pawl. it has accordingly been highly difficult to automate the assemblage of the complete slider.

The prior art configuration of the slider in question manifests another serious disadvantage when, for instance, a garment or like article to which the concealed slide fastener incorporating the slider has been at tached is subjected to ironing operation. Since the locking pawl is mounted on the pivot pin as aforesaid, the pressure exerted upon the slider from above takes the form of a bending stress acting upon the pivot pin via the locking pawl. The pivot pin of slender construction is then easy to become permanently strained, thereby seriously impairing the functioning of the locking pawl mounted thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON It is, therefore, among the objects of this invention to provide a slider having an improved releasable locking mechanism for use in a concealed slide fastener, such that the slider is assemblable through a simple and time-saving procedure which easily lends itself to auto-- mation.

Another object of theinvention to provide, in the slider of the type described, a releasable locking mech anism including a locking pawl pivotable about a re tainer pin, the pawl and the pin being associated with each other in such a fashion that the pressure exerted upon the former from above the slider does not result in any stress acting upon the latter.

With these and other objects in view, this invention provides, in a slider for a concealed slide fastener including a body with a separator formed centrally at its flared front end, a releasable locking mechanism comprising a locking pawl placed between a pair of ears projecting upwardly from the separator. instead of the conventional pivot pin extending transversely through the front end portion of the locking pawl, there is provided a retainer pin extending over the locking pawl and supported by the separator ears. The locking pawl is normally spring-biased to releasably engage the retainer pin in its upwardly opening recess and to have its rear end held in a position of interference with the rows of fastener elements passing through the slider body.

According to the above outlined configuration of the releasable locking mechanism, a manual pull exerted on a pull tab connected to the locking pawl results in the pivoting motion of the latter about the retainer pin, so that the slider is free to move along the fastener elements in either direction. However, when downward pressure is applied to the slider, as in the ironing operation of the article to which the concealed slide fastener has been attached, the locking pawl will release the retainer pin as it is displaced downwardly with respect to the separator ears, so that no stress will act upon the retainer pin.

According to another feature of the invention, all the constituent members of the releasable locking mechanism can be readily installed in prescribed positions upon the slider body by being successively delivered thereto in the same direction, that is, from above. This permits the complete slider to be assembled through a highly simplified and, if desired, automatic procedure.

The features which are believed to be novel and characteristic of this invention are set forth in particular in the claims appended hereto. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and mode of operation, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent in the course of the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

BRllEF DESCRllPTlON OF DRAWINGS lFlG. l is an exploded perspective view of a slider for a concealed slide fastener constructed in accordance with the novel concepts of this invention, in which a pull tab is shown fragmentarily because of its common and well known nature;

Flt 2 is a perspective view showing the slider of FIG. 1 is completely assembled form;

H6. 3 is a longitudinal axial sectional view of the assembled slider shown in FIG. 2; and

Fit}. 4 is a view similar to H6. 3 but showing a locking pawl in its depressed position away from a retainer pin.

DESCRIPUON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODlh/IENT With particular reference to lFlGS. l to 3, inclusive, a preferred form of the slider for a concealed slide fastoner according to the invention includes a body 10 having a flared front end and a contracted rear end. More specifically, the slider body 10 comprises a bottom wall ill, a pair of side walls 12, and a pair of 'inwardly directed lips 13 formed along the top edges of the respective side walls. A substantially diamondshaped separator or island 14 is formed centrally at the flared front end of the slider body it) to cooperate therewith to define a generally Y-shaped guide channel through which the rows of interlocking fastener elements, not shown, of the concealed slide fastener are made to pass in the well known manner.

According to the novel concepts of this invention, the separator lid has a pair of ears l5 projecting up- 3 wardly therefrom and extending in the longitudinal direction of the slider substantially-fin spacedparallelism. As illustrated in FIG. 1, these separator ears have halfmooned indentations 16, respectively, that are formed in their top edges so as to be aligned in the transverse direction of the slider.

As best shown in FIG. 3, a leaf spring 17 is arranged longitudinally between the separator cars 15, and a locking pawl 18 is also arranged longitudinally between the separator ears over the leaf spring. The locking pawl 18 has a pointed ortapered rear end 19 projecting beyond the separator 14 and a front end 20 adapted for abutting contact with the leaf spring 17 located thereunder. An upwardly opening recess 21 is formed in the locking pawl 18 adjacent the front end thereof.

For operatively holding the locking pawl 18 in position between the separator ears 15, a retainer pin 22 extends transversely between the separator ears over the locking pawl in vertically registered relationship to the upwardly opening recess 21 in the latter. It will be observed from a consideration of FIGS. 1 and 2 that the retainer pin 22 is engaged at both ends in the respective half-mooned indentations 16 in the separator ears 15, and then longitudinal compressive forces are exerted upon the separator ears to join the opposed edges of each identation and hence to immovably support the retainer pin in position over the locking pawl 18.

A pull tab 23 is pivotally connected to the locking pawl 18 via a connector ring 24 somewhat loosely surrounding the locking pawl between its rear end 19 and the retainer pin 22.

Thus, normally, the leaf spring 17 biases the locking pawl 18 in such a manner that the retainer pin 22 is releasably engaged in the upwardly opening recess 21 in the locking pawl, as will be seen from FIG. 3. Moreover, the rear end 19 of the locking pawl 18 is normally caused by the leaf spring 17 to project into the guide channel of the slider body for interference contact with the rows of fastener elements passing therethrough so that the slider is locked against movement upon the fastener elements. When a pull is exerted on the pull tab 23, however, the locking pawl 18 will pivot about the retainer pin 22 against the bias of the leaf spring 17, with the result that the rear end of the locking pawl moves out of its position of interference with the fastener elements to permit the slider to move therealong in either direction.

As will have been understood from the foregoing description, the assemblage of the complete slider can be completed by successively delivering the leaf spring 17, the locking pawl 18 with the pull tab 23, and the retainer pin 22 down onto the slider body 10 and then by compressing the separator ears 15. The slider is thus assemblable through an extremely simple procedure which is easy to automate.

When a garment or like article equipped with the concealed slide fastener incorporating the improved slider according to the invention is subjected to ironing operation, the pressure exerted upon the locking pawl 18 will cause the same to move generally downwardly away from the retainer pin 22 against the influence of the leaf spring 17, as illustrated specifically in FIG. 4. This is because the retainer pin 22 is only loosely received in the recess 21 in the locking pawl 18 when the latter is in its normal position shown in FIG. 3. No pressure is thus applied to the retainer pin 22 so that there is no possibility of it being bent, damaged or otherwise deformed. It will therefore be understood that the im proved slider according to the invention will remain in highly operable condition throughout the use of the concealed slide fastener over an extended length of time.

Having thus described the slider for concealed slide fasteners according to the invention, it is clear that the objects as indicated above, either explicitly or otherwise, have been attained in a simple and practical manner. While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a slider for a concealed slide fastener including a body having a flared front end and a contracted rear end, and a separator positioned centrally at said front end of said body to cooperate therewith to define a substantially Y-shaped guide channel therethrough, a releasable locking mechanism comprising, in combination, a pair of ears projecting upwardly from said separator and extending in the longitudinal direction of said slider substantially in spaced parallelism, a locking pawl arranged longitudinally between said ears of said separator and having a rear end projecting beyond said separator and an upwardly opening recess formed adjacent the front end thereof, a retainer pin supported by and extending transversely between said ears of said separator over said locking pawl, said retainer pin being arranged in registered relationship to said recess in said locking pawl, spring means normally biasing said locking pawl in such a manner that said recess in said locking pawl releasably engages said retainer pin and that said rear end of said locking pawl projects into said guide channel of said body, and a pull tab pivotally connected to said locking pawl and, when exerted with a pull, effective to move said rear end of said locking pawl away from said guide channel of said body against the bias of said spring means.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said spring means is in the form of a leaf spring arranged longitudinally between said ears of said separator under said locking pawl. 

1. In a slider for a concealed slide fastener including a body having a flared front end and a contracted rear end, and a separator positioned centrally at said front end of said body to cooperate therewith to define a substantially Y-shaped guide channel therethrough, a releasable locking mechanism comprising, in combination, a pair of ears projecting upwardly from said separator and extending in the longitudinal direction of said slider substantially in spaced parallelism, a locking pawl arranged longitudinally between said ears of said separator and having a rear end projecting beyond said separator and an upwardly opening recess formed adjacent the front end thereof, a retainer pin supported by and extending transversely between said ears of said separator over said locking pawl, said retainer pin being arranged in registered relationship to said recess in said locking pawl, spring means normally biasing said locking pawl in such a manner that said recess in said locking pawl releasably engages said retainer pin and that said rear end of said locking pawl projects into said guide channel of said body, and a pull tab pivotally connected to said locking pawl and, when exerted with a pull, effective to move said rear end of said locking pawl away from said guide channel of said body against the bias of said spring means.
 2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said spring means is in the form of a leaf spring arranged longitudinally between said ears of said separator under said locking pawl. 